Now I have always bought cheap, supermarket Ibuprofen, for 40p a pack,or whatever it is.

I don’t use it everyday but I do use it when my back plays up, depends  a lot on what I am physically doing but my back does give some discomfort every now and then.

The other day at work, my back was very sore and tight, a colleague gave me a couple of “Motrin” which seemed to be very effective and settled my back pain very quickly. It seemed to me much quicker than the generic Ibuprofen I normally take. I assumed they must be have a different or additional active ingredient, from standard. However, when I googled it, they are just Ibuprofen in a pretty pink tablet.

Anyone else find any difference when using “branded” generic drugs from the cheaper options? Or was purely my imagination?

Placebo is *awesome*.  It’s the same drug.

active may be the same, delivery mechanism (excipient formulations, etc.) may be very different.

Placebo is *awesome*.  It’s the same drug.

What he said.

There’s absolutely loads of well regarded, peer reviewed science on Google around this. the TL;DR is that, yes – placebo really is that strong and bizarrely, placebo works even when you’re totally aware that it’s placebo. So even if you recognise that you’re taking a branded pill and that it comes with a placebo effect, you still receive the placebo effect.

https://www.nhs.uk/news/medication/the-placebo-effect-can-still-work-even-if-people-know-its-a-placebo/

Or OP stuck up his chuff….

Ibuprofen: Clarifying some myths

Is there a difference between the branded and generic versions?

There is no difference in the way in which different versions of ibuprofen work but some may work faster and be more effective than others, however there can be a quite a difference in cost between different products. The reasons for choosing one product over another vary from person to person and some people do find one product more effective than others.

But we don’t trust experts any more, you know.

The thing is, I assumed it was Ibuprofen.

When it kicked so quickly, I assumed it must have something else in it. Only when I googled it, did I find out that it had the same active ingredient.

active may be the same, delivery mechanism (excipient formulations, etc.) may be very different.

but some may work faster and be more effective than others

I guess these 2 statements are correct in my case.

There should be a PL number. If it is the same not only does it have the same ingredients its actually the same drug. Martin Lewis did a thing about it recently: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/family/2016/12/revealed-the-identical-cold-and-flu-medicines-which-cost-a-third-of-the-price

are you even sure the active was actually the same – from the other link I posted, ibuprofen broadly comes in three forms – acid, sodium salt and lysine ‘salt’ with different absorption profiles.

Then you can have those actives in different formulations.

Unless stated as a claim, they will have the same concentration time profile – which means that they should have precisely the same exposure at all time points (bioequivalent). If they don’t, you can’t sell the generic – as they reference the efficacy and safety data of the innovator. Some versions may have more rapid absorption e.g., gel capsules, some may have added ingredients, caffeine. Excipients (bulking agents in the tablet) can be different and this sometimes may affect tolerability (sulfite sensitivity is one possibility). But a generic drug must match the profile of the original.

I buy cheap generics but develop new medicines.

Excipients (bulking agents in the tablet)

Bulking agents!!  How very dare you!

(I too buy cheap generics and then count my savings to take my mind off the pain for the extra 15 minutes while it kicks in 😉 )

I buy cheap generics but develop new medicines

TiRed and his friend/associate yesterday…

active may be the same, delivery mechanism (excipient formulations, etc.) may be very different.
but some may work faster and be more effective than others

To be sold, generics (ie copy of the original) have to prove that the pharmacokinetics (how quickly absorbed, concentrations achieved and rate of excretion) of their product are the same as the original registered product.  if not, then they are not equivalent and the company responsible would have to do their own clinical trials to get them on the market which would not be cost effective.  So like for like, there should not be a difference in the rate at which they work for the same type of product.

You can of course get different types of formulation (fast absorption, extended release etc) but in every case the above rule applies to the cheaper alternatives to the original. The only way you should get differences is if you are comparing a different kind of product (ie bog standard vs fast acting)

Edit:  What TiRed said – I too work in drug development 🙂

Oh and a cheap trick – take a teaspoon of baking soda before paracetamol – it’s the same stuff as in Panadol Actifast and makes dissolution faster. This does give higher concentrations earlier, and hence faster pain relief. If you can swallow the tablets – they are huuuuge! I don’t think this works for ibuprofen, the gel capsules are already in solution.

As for other cheaper medicines, well ibuprofen is very skin permeable and a good option for topical delivery. These formulations do not have to be bioequivalent, just formulated to a common strength for application.

Just don’t get me started on biosimilars – i.e., generic monoclonal antibodies and peptides. These have to undergo some degree of clinical efficacy testing as they are not chemicals.

I think you’ll find they use the cheap carbon atoms from the barrel of wonky parts, which is why it doesn’t cost as much. Be even worse after Brexit when we take back our Hydrogen molecules and can measure them in feet and gallons instead of these dodgy moles.

I only use the finest Nurofen tablets, and of course it’s vitally important to make sure you take the right ibuprofen. If it says “back pain” on the box then it definitely won’t work for headaches.

Nurofen are masters of the snake oil. Their current claim is that their product provides ‘faster, more effective relief than standard paracetamol’. No shit. IIRC they’ve also been forced to remove products from sale in the past that claim to target specific pain.

The other con is paying a lot extra for the ‘extra’ formulations that just contain caffeine. Take your tablets with a cup of coffee.

With Wilco’s own ibuprofen costing 25p for a packet, anyone paying the price Neurophen ask must have more money than sense. I only wish there was a generic version of Voltarol, ‘cos that stuff is amazing, but an eye-watering price; £16 for a medium sized tube!

Branding matters

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/26462056/

<span class=”sub_abstract_label”>CONCLUSIONS: </span>Branding of a tablet appears to have conferred a treatment benefit in the absence of an active ingredient, while generic labeled tablets were substantially less effective if they contained no active ingredient. Branding is also associated with reduced attribution of side effects to placebo tablets. Future interventions to improve perceptions of generics may have utility in improving treatment outcomes from generic drugs.

branding and colour, too – there have been studies suggesting that red analgesics are “better”, certainly than white ones

confirmed by personal experience – extensive research, multiple repeat challenges, from my 20s suggests that hangovers are best treated using 4x200mg (better than 2×400 or 1×800) red, branded “Brufen” pills, and a pint of orange juice followed by 2 coffees.  Mind, the people who really needed help (NHS hospital before “rules’n’that” got in the way) tended to go for an litre of i.v. drip with potassium and a shot of i.v. antiemetic 😉

How much extra is the branded Motrin?

Just consider that you are paying extra for the placebo effect – is it worth it?  If it is – just buy the branded stuff with extra placebo.  Does it matter why it’s working better?  For pain relief, I would suggest that placebo is a great treatment option if it works for you!

Drug development manager here

Countzero – ask your pharmacist – not sure if there is a generic diclofenac (active ingredient in volterol) gel available.  The fact Voltarol have developed their (presumably patented) no mess applicator makes me suspect there is or soon will be.  It does give you some idea what people in other countries pay for medicines (voltarol is a pretty cheap pain killer for relatively mild pain)

Countzero – ask your pharmacist – not sure if there is a generic diclofenac (active ingredient in volterol) gel available.

Pretty sure Boots do their own brand of the stuff.

To be sold, generics (ie copy of the original) have to prove that the pharmacokinetics (how quickly absorbed, concentrations achieved and rate of excretion) of their product are the same as the original registered product.

Ok, but the generic 30p ibuprofens don’t say ‘fast acting’ etc so there’s the difference, right?

Ok, but the generic 30p ibuprofens don’t say ‘fast acting’ etc so there’s the difference, right?

If you look on the backs of the packets – theres a code starting “PL….” if you’ve got two similar products – a brand name pain killer and and own-brand one for instance  – if the code on the back is the same then the contents inside is the same ..in every respect.. not just the same active ingredient.

Ok, but the generic 30p ibuprofens don’t say ‘fast acting’ etc so there’s the difference, right?

The difference is that they have paid people like me to run a study showing that it’s faster acting than a comparator